But extracting the oil doesn’t come without problems. To obtain it, many use butane, a highly flammable compound that has led to incidents of explosions around the country.

That’s where Apeks Supercritical comes in. The Johnstown-based company says it has a safer alternative for extracting hash oil using its carbon dioxide-based machines.

“It is a much more safe method to get the oils out of the plant material without taking in extra toxins or carcinogens,” said Apeks President Andy Joseph.

Apeks had been in the business of making extraction systems for botanicals long before the current pot decriminalization trend began picking up steam. Joseph says people started requesting the system for cannabis when medicinal marijuana was first approved.

Despite the increased safety measures that come with CO2 extraction systems, Joseph says butane use is popular because it’s easily obtained and not heavily regulated. For this reason, Joseph says producing safe butane equipment may not be very profitable.

“We certainly have got the capabilities to design it and do it safely,” Joseph said. “(But) the people who are processing using the butane methods aren’t willing to pay the price that would be required to do it safely.”